History Vacation

The highlight of our vacation started with a Google search. Last summer my mother-in-law requested that my husband and I leave town for awhile so she could come stay with our children.  We considered our options and settled for a driving tour through Pennsylvania and New York. We began with stays in Philadelphia and NYC. We were looking for a place to stay between New York City and the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort near Pittsburgh.  I did an internet search for “south central Pennsylvania hotels” and discovered the Omni Bedford Springs Resort – a gem of a place in the Cumberland Valley in the Allegheny Mountains.  The property has been a stop for visitors since the late 1790′s when a white settler opened an inn for travelers who wanted to “take the waters” of the mineral springs.  The inn expanded and over the centuries became a resort with one of the nation’s first golf courses, which was later redesigned by Donald Ross.  The Bedford Springs resort was a second home to President James Buchanan, earning it the nickname, the summer White House.  Bedford Springs Resort has recently been completely remodeled and is a perfect getaway for anyone a few hours from the area.  Check it out:   http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/BedfordSprings

Roman Holiday Tip #1

I’m just back from a spring break trip to Rome with my husband and our three teenagers. It is quite possibly the best family vacation we have ever taken. It’s hard to beat the Eternal City’s historic sites and fantastic food. Our mantra, “PLAN, to have fun” was made possible through the excellent travel book, Rome 2012, by Rick Steves.  Mr.  Steves, the  host of public television’s Rick Steves’ Europe- is well-travelled and spends 100 days a year in Europe. His book offers great tips on self-guided tours of Rome’s highlights from the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill to a wonderful “Heart of Rome” walk.  Through this book we found one of the best parts of our trip: driver Concezio Monti, proprietor of Autoservizi Monti Concezio. English-speaking Ezio offers car and mini-bus service in the city and also  sightseeing tours outside of Rome.  We hired him for the drives to and from the airport, and also to take us on  an all-day trip to the ruins of Pompeii.  Ezio is a native of Rome and is proud to share the wonders of his ancient city with visitors.  It was cheaper for us to hire Ezio for the day trip to Pompeii than to take the high-speed train.  If you are planning a trip to Rome, our number #1 tip is to contact Ezio for your driving needs.  http://www.montitours.com or conceziomonti@gmail.com

Local Color

Housetrends magazine’s August/September issue celebrates the vibrant art community in central Ohio.  Their first ever art-themed issue takes the reader from an art-filled Buggyworks loft owned by OSU girls basketball coach Jim Foster and his wife Donna, to the Granville retreat of artists Amy and Paul Hamilton.  I had the privilege of writing about Nannette Maciejunes’ turn-of-the-century home.  The Columbus Museum of Art’s executive director is an art collector in her professional life as well as her private life.  You will enjoy her varied collections from folk art and lithographs to photography and yes, floaty pens.  Check the article out at:

http://www.housetrends.com/Housetrends/Columbus/August-2011/Wonder-Rooms/